Article excerpt

Peter Hardwick

The Chronicle

A WOMAN who twice shot her housemate during a drunken tantrum has been acquitted of attempted murder, but found guilty of committing a malicious act with intent.

By its verdict, the jury had found Coral Suzanne Sharp, 55, had intended to cause grievous bodily harm to Rex Boyes, 72. Sharp had been living in Mr Boyes's home on his property near Swanfels east of Warwick at the time.

She had known Mr Boyes since 1996 and regularly shared his home, Toowoomba Supreme Court heard.

On February 8, last year, just after 6pm, a drunken Sharp became agitated and Mr Boyes left the house to put distance between them.

As he opened the gate on his driveway, Sharp fired a .22 rifle at him, the bullet striking him in the stomach and exiting out the other side.

As he tried to walk on, she shot him again, this time in the left leg with the bullet exiting and going into his right knee where it remains today, the court heard. …